


Do you trust me, brother?

by Babii



Category: Ylvis
Genre: Balle - Freeform, M/M, Minor Violence, Possible Character Death, Sibling Incest, minor characters - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-19
Updated: 2015-07-23
Packaged: 2018-03-13 19:41:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3393902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Babii/pseuds/Babii
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Young prince Vegard has an arranged marriage with the emperors daughter of Athens, Greece so their countries can form an alliance. But this girl isn't everything she seems to be. With their life on the line how will they be saved from her, but most of all how will Vegard be able to trust his own brother?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. the stable boy

**Author's Note:**

> bam! here ya go

"You better say your prayers now because I'm about to get your king!" The young Bård jumped up and down in his seat. "I don't think so, I only have one corner left to cover." Vegard reached over the Tafl board and hopped his white king over two spaces. The idea of the game was for one player to get his king to cover all four corners of the board while the other players' army was to try to stop him. "One more move and I win." he grinned. Bård's smile shrank while his brows furrowed in concentration. Vegard stared at Bård's facial features in wonder because he knew that Bård's wonderful mind was thinking hard. Then after a few short seconds in silence his eyes widened and his mouth formed an 'o'. "Oh I got it, I got it. I win!" He grabbed his pawn and slid it diagonally across the board in front of the king. Vegard peeked between his fingers in mid eye rub in shock. "Wait, what?" he didn't even see that coming. Bård sprang up from his chair and danced around victoriously, " I WIN I WIN HAHA!!" Vegard sat there with an overacted display of disbelief on his face and hung his head down in mocking shame. He heard the fifteen year old running around behind him and he couldn't help the smile from spreading across his face. He hung his head in his hands and feigned a cry to hide his laugh. Bård stopped jumping and noticed the sobbing and hesitantly reached out his arm. "Are you crying? I'm sorry Vegard, but I can't help it if I'm better than you." And with that Vegard quickly spun around in his seat and tackled Bård in a wrestle. He was able to quickly straddle the boy onto ground. "Oh you may have won the game but I will always be better than you." he chuckled. Bård stared at him wide eyed in shock. "Okay okay, you win." Bård threw his hands up in resignation and Vegard slowly got up off him to straighten his shirt. With that Bård kicked Vegard's leg and twisted it so he lost his balance. With a thud Vegard landed face down on the ground and Bård quickly sat on top of him. "Ha ha I'm just kidding, I will always win." He scooted his butt more on Vegard's upper back so he couldn't get up. "Bård get off of me!" he squirmed underneath. Bård just laughed and crossed his arms. "Nope."

Just then they heard their father Alvis calling Vegard's name from down the hall. "Vegard, come in here. I need to speak with you now." Both the brothers heads shot up to the door in unison. "Okay I'm coming!" he shouted back. then he directed his voice towards Bård. "Alright, let me go. Papa needs me." With a sigh, Bård obeyed. "It's not fair that you get to be included with all these secret stuff while I'm always shut out." Bård frowned. Vegard straightened up and looked at him with a smirk, "Well that's because I'm older than you." he laughed and Bård scoffed. "Tell me what happened, okay." he pleaded. Vegard nodded in agreement then turned on his heel and left.

Once Bård watched his brother leave he reached for an apple from the fruit bowl and stuffed it into his mouth while he darted out the window and climbed down the neighboring tree that he used far too many times to count. He landed softly on the patchy dirt and spat out the red fruit as he searched around the dark land which was thankfully illuminated by the full moon. He sneaked past the guards with accurate timing and speed but then while he wasn't watching, he accidentally stumbled down the short hill and caught his foot in a little rabbit hole. "Ah fuck, just my luck." he mumbled and quickly recovered and resumed towards the horse stables. 

He could see that there were some torches lit inside and he smiled widely knowing who was waiting for him. Once at the stable door he quietly knocked, knowing that it was locked securely. He heard a voice from the inside telling him to hold on then some footsteps approaching. Bård lazily looked all around him, mostly up at the sky. 'I wonder if there are other people out there' he thought to himself. He always had in his head that there were other life forms out there in that vast sky that was impossible to reach. He directed his gaze towards the moon and got lost in the brilliance of it. He got so wrapped up in his thoughts that he almost didn't hear the stable boy open the door. "Hello, young prince, what present did you bring me this time?" 

They've always met up like this since Bård was little. They first met each other while he was playing hide and seek with Vegard and decided to hide in the stables. He remembers he dove into the hay stack and while he was in there he heard another boy right beside him. At first he screamed when he felt something moving in there with him, but they were soon talking and became good friends ever since. The young stable boy didn't have a name, he said his mother didn't live long enough to give him one. Bård felt sympathy for this boy, who had to live his childhood inside a barn, so every time he visited he promised him treasures, whether it was food or toys. But the stable boy was happy grateful every time because having a friend was enough for him.

"I brought you an apple, o noble knight." Bård answered in a mocking English tone. The boy took the apple gently as if it were a rare diamond and wiped it with his sleeve. "Than you, sire" he sad back with a grin. "You may enter." the tall boy gestured. Bård tipped his imaginary hat and stepped inside. "Were you thinking about the sky again, Bård?" he asked the young boy once he settled down by the hay stack. Bård took a strand and lazily played with it between his fingers. "Don't you think that it' better somewhere else? Like out of Scandinavia, I mean. What if there are creatures beyond compare somewhere else on this planet?" The boy chuckled between biting his apple. "What has gotten into you?" he settled across Bård. "I don't know, I'm just saying. You know, if there were places to go.." he began stuttering and the stable boy stared at his with an amused smile on his face. It was always so funny seeing such a bold boy stutter in embarrassment when it came to his feelings. Bård's face got hot and flushed to his ears. "Would you like to travel with me... someday I mean-" 

"I would love to, Bård" he chuckled. Bård stared back at him and he laughed as well. "Okay, cool cool." he tucked a strand of hair behind his ear and looked down. After a few seconds of silence with Bård nervously playing with the hay, the stable boy spoke up again. "Anyway, so what did you do today? Anything exiting?" Bård directed his gaze back up to the blond boy and contemplated his answer. Sure there were some highlights, but none of it was truly interesting. Except for one. "Well there was one thing, I played Tafl with my brother today and i won." With that the poor boys' smile faded. He expected something more interesting than that coming from the house of royalty. "Oh Tafl, isn't that a board game?" he asked. Bård nodded, "yeah the idea of it is to try to stop the enemy from taking over the land so with your army you must try to surround the king as a way of stopping him." he explained. The blue eyed boy wasn't very interested in what he was saying so much as how he was saying it. He focused on how the young princes lips shaped each word, how they puckered up when he rolled his r's or how some words made his bottom lip fall lower so you could see his bottom teeth. He must have been caught because Bård's words stopped but didn't say anything else like 'what are you doing' or 'why are you looking at me like that'. But instead he sat there too, waiting for what the taller boy was thanking, what he would do next. He leaned in closer with out realizing and studied Bård's reaction, whether it was the right move or not. Bård stared back hazily at the other boys' parted lips with half closed eyes and leaned in as well. He long forgotten about the apple now lying next to him and Bård didn't seem to mind either. With one hand he reached Bård's cheekbone and stroked it slowly and the younger boys' eye lids dropped to a close and parted his lips even further. he could feel the younger's nose brushing against his and reveled in the feeling of it, they've never been this close before, hell he's never been this close with anyone before and never so intimate. He closed his eyes as well and ghosted his lips over the other ones, feeling the breath hit his face. Then when their lips were finally about to touch, a loud bang came from the entrance.

They both shot their gaze towards the door and broke apart suddenly. It was Vegard. Bård shot up from the ground and apologized suddenly. "Bård, where the hell were you?! I've been worried sick! When I came back to our room, you were gone! And you're here in a stable of all places? With a boy? Were you running away? What were you planning on doing?" he inched closer to Bård with every syllable, every word. "I'm sorry Vegard, really I am. I didn't mean to stay out this long I swear-"

"Oh save it, Bård. I'm supposed to be in charge of you so when you run away, I'm held accountable for it. Don't ever do this again, do you understand me?" he screamed right in his face. The stable boy just stared at this catastrophe in shock, who was he to talk to his Bård like that. His blood boiled up and he couldn't stop himself from exploding. 

"Excuse me, but who the fuck do you think you are? Bård and I are friends, he wasn't going to run away. Don't point fingers at your brother, point them at me. Don't you trust him? Don't you think that Bård would tell you if he was to run away or do anything wrong? So don't yell at him, yell at me because Bård just wants to have friends and he can't hep if he's forced to be stuck in that miserable castle every day bored out of his mind." He felt all eyes on him and his face got red. Vegard stared at him in shock for a few seconds but then quickly recovered. 

"Who the fuck are you?" Bård stepped up this time, "He's the stable boy and he's my friend. So don't hurt him" he walked over to the blond boy. Vegard just stared from boy to boy in disbelief, then scoffed. "Alright Romeo, let's go back home. We can discuss this in our room." Bård turned towards the filthy boy and hugged him tightly, then whispered in his ear "I'll see you tomorrow night." The boy nodded and gave a warm smile towards the boy once they parted. Then Bård retreated towards the door with Vegard in back of him. He gave a cold stare towards the blond boy, who gave a wave in return and sneered before finally walking away. The poor boy stood there, still staring at the pairs' backs and caught a glimpse from his friends smile in the pale moonlight and returned the smile. 'Hopefully this won't be the last time we see each other', he thought to himself before retiring to the familiar haystack that he knew too well.


	2. arranged

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haiiiiii, sorry it took so long to update. Its been over a month lol but I've been really busy lately

They walked in silence under the pale moonlight for the rest of the way. Vegard walked a few paces in front while Bård solemnly followed, looking back at the barn from time to time. Once they both climbed back into their room Vegard let out a drawn out sigh and threw himself on top of his bed. Bård just stood there awkwardly by the window awaiting his punishment. After a few minutes of more silence that followed Vegard finally spoke up. "Father wants me to marry the princess of Greece."  
Bård's throat clenched, he didn't know what to say. "What do you mean?"

"What do you think I mean, Bård." he turned around in is bed to face him. "The Slavs are taking over too much land and soon they will spread to Scandinavia. So if I marry the princess of Greece we can make an alliance so they will protect us."   
Bård slumped down on the ground and stared at nothing. "You can't do this, Vegard. Don't do this. You have to talk to dad, he might-"

"There's nothing I can do. They're already expecting us to be there. We can't cancel now." Vegard interjected. Bård's eyes started watering, he felt his breath hitching. "But you're only eighteen, you're too young!"

"Many princes get married at this age, even younger. I'm doing this doing this to protect my people as the future king." Vegard walked over to his brother and sat down across him trying to search his face but Bård couldn't look back, his thoughts were racing; what was he to do? What if he never sees that boy again? Will Vegard be taken away from him as well? He felt arms embracing around his body and he squeezed his eyes shut.

Then Vegard whispered in his ear "Listen, I know this his hard for you; I don't want to do this either. But I promise that this will not come between us." Bård let out a shaky breath and nodded. "And I promise that you will see that stable boy again, whoever the hell he is. You have my word. I'll make it so he will have to come with us to Greece."  
Bård cracked a sad smile before they parted, "Thanks, brother. And I promise I won't get in your way when you're with the princess." Vegard laughed back with wet eyes as well. "Good. Now let's get some sleep, we have to leave early tomorrow if we want to make it by Friday."

"We're leaving tomorrow?" Vegard got up and helped him up as well. "Well yeah, the sooner I marry the safer we'll be from attack." Bård stared down again "Oh, well that's fast." he mumbled. Vegard looked back at him while turning down his duvet. "I know but there's nothing you can do, you know." he shrugged.   
Bård slipped under his covers as well and stared at the ceiling until he saw nothing but darkness.

The next morning was hectic with servants running around trying to gather the best clothes and cooks trying to whip up the most nonperishable foods they could make. The brothers were all over the place as well, each with different jobs to do. Bård hasn't seen his brother since breakfast before he had to leave the table to help gather water for the trip. He wondered where Vegard is and how he would sneak that boy into the ship as well. With his last bag of clothes he looked back at his shared childhood bedroom nostalgically. He didn't even leave yet and he already misses last night when they were playing that board game, before Vegard was forced into an arranged marriage. With a heavy sigh he turned back around and was met by his father towering above him. 

"Oh I"m sorry Father, I was just thinking about something." he mumbled. The king looked at him with apoligetic eyes. "Listen Bård I know this is hard for you, you have to say goodbye to your friends and home. But imagine how hard this is for Vegard, he's only three years older than you and he's expected to marry a stranger. I would rather have him marry for love but that is a luxury we cannot afford. I hope you understand I'm not doing this as a punishment but for our safety, for our peoples safety."

Bård gave the best smile he could muster up, "I know dad, I'm still just a little shocked that's all." his father smiled back and nodded back slowly. Good, now go to the marina and help your brother load things onto the ship. We're leaving in an hour."

Bård hurried to the ship where he spotted the curly haired boy dragging a mattress onto the dock with the help of a taller boy. They were talking excitedly about something as they pushed side by side. Bård recognized that blond hair anywhere, was that the stable boy? His heart leaped and he smiled broadly while stumbling forward. He reached them quickly and stopped on his heal. All three boys greeted each other exitedly and the two blonds embraced in a hug. Then Bård turned to Vegard "How were you able to get him to come with us?" 

Vegard smiled back proudly, "Well since I love to ride my horse every day I couldn't stand to part with it so i ordered to bring the horses as well as the workers too." he winked at his brother and his heart swelled. "Thank you soo much Vegard. I promise to never do anything behind your back ever again."

"Oh you don't have to thank me, I was sort of doing it for myself anyway. Oh and by the way, I did some research on this guys back story. This "stable boy" has a name you know." Bård's forehead wrinkled up in curiosity. He turned to the skinny blond boy for answers. 

"Before my father left me, he wrote a note to the king asking for my stay while he was away. My mother died giving birth to me and my father left on a voyage to trade in the Middle East so he can support me. He said my name is Carl Fredrik Hellevang Larsen and I was 12 months old when he left me in the care of the servants cause he knew I would be treated better in the castle than on the streets. The king had forgot to not about me but when Vegard told him about the stable boy he gave him the letter." 

Bård stared at him in disbelief "Carl Fredrik Hellevang Larsen" he tasted the words on his lips. Then he let go and looked up into his eyes "Very long if you ask me." he scoffed, "you can call me Calle instead if you prefer, your highness." 

"Okay Calle. Yea i like that better, its short and cute." Calle blushed at this and returned to his pushing. Bård directed his gaze towards his brother again who was already staring at him. Vegard blushed and averted his eyes, "So uh, would you want to help us drag these things onto the ship?"

"Why yes I would love to, sire" he laughed. Maybe this marriage won't be as bad as he thought.


	3. the truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vegard finally confront Bård about his relationship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yea I don't even know anymore   
> But I hope y'all enjoy it

The sunrise over the horizon interrupted Bård's slumber and he winced at the sudden intrusion in annoyance. He rolled over trying to return to his blissful sleep but was caught off guard when he found an arm tightening around his waist.

"What the hell." His eyes opened and he squinted until they adjusted. There his face was met by another blond boy's dirty face. He breathed in sharply.

Well this is an interesting sleeping position, when did this happen? "Calle" he breathed. The lanky boy was still snoring lightly. "Calle" he repeated. 

Still no response. He huffed a laugh and slowly sneaked away under Calle's arm.

Once up he stretched his achy limbs and breathed in the salty air. It was quite uncomfortable to lay on that shitty cotton bed all night but the gentle rock of the boat relaxed him.

He turned back to the dirty sleeping boy and chuckled to himself. Calle must have snuck into his bed while he was already asleep. 

"Hey, you're up." He whipped his head around to see his brother leaning against the railing. "Oh hi." 

Was Vegard watching him this whole time, Bård thought and his cheeks reddened. Vegard cocked his head to the side to beckon him over. 

Bård slowly followed his brother's side and stared off into the water. "So I've noticed your affection for Calle." Vegard commented. 'Well of course I do, anyone with half a brain could see that' he thought. "Oh is it really that noticeable" he answered.

Vegard scoffed, "Duh, look at the sleeping position." Bård's cheeks burned and he looked down. He really wasn't expecting to wake up being a little spoon. 

"But you do know that your relationship with him can never be real...right?"

"What do you mean?" Bård was staring at him now. Why can't they be together?

Vegard met his gaze. "Because you're a prince, Bård. You can't have an open relationship with a dirty stable boy. That would damage your reputation and it's unlawful. You're royalty and he's just...not."

Vegard looked over to Calle and then back at him. "He may be good to you but you're forgetting one thing, he's not a prince."

Bård huffed an exasperated laugh and crossed his arms. "He can become one once we marry"

"Bård do you hear how crazy you sound. This...thing is impossible. It can't happen. So what I'm telling you now is that you should just end it before it gets any- before it progresses."

"What do you mean by that Vegard? Progresses into what?" His voice cracked, Bård was getting tired of his shit and looked dead in his eyes.

"Before your heart breaks!" Bård leaned away in shock. "Before your heart breaks. I don't want you to get hurt." Vegard whispered. He hung his head down and faced the water again.

Bård still stared at his brother and realized what he was trying to say. "Oh"

"He's right you know." Calle said behind them. They both turned around at the same time. "Your shouting sort of woke me up." Calle said shyly.

"But Prince Vegard is right, there's no way this relationship will work out if I'm not royalty. And I don't want that to hurt you if people find out. Hell, your father might even exile me."

"Calle, no. He would never." He knew it was true though, if his father ever found out that he was in a relationship with a stable boy he would kick Calle out onto the streets and Bård would forever be the family disappointment. 

"Yes he would. We both know that. It's a miracle that your brother was able to accept us so quickly." 

Vegard nodded at him and gave a thumbs up "No problem."

"I'm sorry Bård, I didn't know what I was thinking all that time. But I think it would be best if we remained friends." Calle added.

Bård didn't know what to say. He knew this was the best thing to do but he couldn't just avoid these feelings. How could he? He was in love, or at least he thinks he is. Isn't he?

Bård walked up to Calle and sighed "Okay Calle, if you think it's best."

Calle gave him a reassuring smile and patted his shoulder. "I really do Bård."

He wanted to change the subject, fuck these feelings. "So uh, when do you think we'll land?" He turned to Vegard.

Vegard had to recollect himself "Oh uh, probably not for another day. That's okay though we could probably play some really cool games here." 

"Oh please, don't you think we're too old for games now, Vegard." Bård rolled his eyes.

"Oh come on, we're never too old to play pirate." Vegard said with a twinkle in his eye.

"What do ya say Calle, would you like to join us in some pirate?" Vegard asked. "Oh of course, I'd love to." Calle perked up. 

And so for the rest of the day they explored and played the whole ship until the sun went down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear this is sounding more and more like a fairy tale by each chapter; I might as well have started it with "once upon a time" lol


	4. forgiveness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bård's scared of the storm and turned to his brother for protection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is coming along smoothly I might say

One night it was raining. Really raining. Okay it was a fucking storm. So naturally everyone and everything went inside. Bård felt every rock, every tilt of the boat and each movement just made things worse. 

His stomach was in knots and every muscle in his body was tense. He wasn't laying in bed anymore but was sitting up in the dim lighting. 

Thunder struck and he almost screamed at the sudden noise. He felt like he was gonna be sick.

Bård's eyes scanned the small space that he shared with a few other people until they landed on what they were looking for. 

He slowly got up on two wobbly legs and lunged at the other cot in an almost drunken manner. He hasn't really been on a boat in a long time, especially not during a storm.

Vegard flinched in mid snore and whipped his head around when his not-so-graceful-brother accidentally fell onto him. 

"What the hell are you doing, Bård?" Vegard asked groggily, eyes still half closed. 

"What do you think I'm doing, I can't sleep. Not in this weather anyway." Bård sharply whispered. "Now scoot over I'm coming in." 

It took a few seconds for Vegard to register what Bård said and then slowly scooted over to his side and lifted the cover up for his brother to come in.

Bård hastily dove into the covers and turned to his side too, facing his brother. Their knees were bumping into one another and their chests were practically touching.

"Ugh, this is a really small bed Vegard." Bård mumbled, uncomfortably repositioning his body.

"Well sorry that I don't have a king size bed for you Bård, I didn't expect you to suddenly join in." Vegard whispered the last words on spite.

Bård cracked a smile "Well I didn't expect this storm either so you will just have to deal with that."

"Same to you, brother." Vegard chuckled. 

"Anyways goodnight, I'm going back to sleep."

Bård watched Vegard awkwardly roll over so now his back was facing him and he sighed deeply.

Rather than he'd like to admit, he was scared. And he really wanted his brother to help him take his mind off of the roaring storm.

He listened for Vegards breathing and waited. He couldn't hear any snoring yet, maybe they could still talk.

"Vegard." Bård whispered. Vegard didn't answer but he could sense his brother holding his breath.

He poked Vegards back and tried again. "Vegard." 

Vegard turned his head to the side but didn't quite turn all the way around. "Hmm?"

He sounded so tired and out of it and Bård didn't really want to bother him. But he just needed to talk to him.

"Do you the the ship will sink?" Bård whisper was barely audible, like a little child.

Vegard snorted a laugh "We're not gonna sink. This boat is really strong, I doubt any rock can crash it."

Bård still stared at the back facing him. He wanted more than this. 

"No I mean the water. What if too much gets in the ship and it floods it? Is there anyone who is throwing it back out?" 

Vegard rolled back over to face Bård again. "Yes I'm sure one of the servants are up there now." He gingerly rubbed Bård's arm. Bård stared back into what he could see of his brother's warm eyes and he almost immediately calmed down.

It was weird how all he had to do was look into Vegards deep brown eyes and like magic he knew he was safe. 

He sighed in deeply and nodded. "Okay." 

That was all he said but Vegard knew exactly what he meant. They didn't need to talk to each other about their feelings to know how the other one felt. He knew Bård was scared and he knew that he needed to make him feel safe. So that is what he did. 

Thunder struck again and Bård flinched at the noise and scooted in closer to his brother. Bård was looking around wildly and a cold sweat came over him. 

When his eyes returned to Vegard he found him still looking at him. The brown eyes unwavered from his piercing blue ones and his hand reached up to cup Bård's face.

"Shh it's okay Bård. The thunder won't do anything to us, I promise." He didn't really mind Bård's sweaty skin or his flushed cheeks.

Vegard studied his brothers panicked face slowly soften into a shy smile. "Its okay Bård, I got you. Shh, it's okay." 

Bård leaned into his touch and nodded slowly. They stared at each other a few moments, trusting each other, absorbing one another. Each second that ticked by made them stronger. 

The boat shook once more but Bård didn't even move. He was captivated by Vegards touch, his effect, and his trust. 

Vegard hummed slowly, smoothing his thumb all over Bård's face, his cheeks, his forehead, his eyebrows; and hummed quietly to Bård.

The vibrating hum that came from Vegards chest vibrated into Bård, pulling him down into a content bliss. He finally gave his eyes a break and dropped them to a close.

Vegard listened to Bård's breath become a steady pace with little puffs of air hitting his face. 

Vegard smiled to himself for that he knew he succeeded, he has gained his brother's forgiveness.

"I'm so sorry Bård." He whispered to the sleeping boy. "I'm sorry how this whole marriage has changed everything."

He studied Bård's peaceful face, His fluffy blond hair sticking up all over the place and his mouth slightly open. He brushed a hair from Bård's face and leaned in.

"Thank you." He whispered and kissed his forehead. "Goodnight."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> G'night


	5. truth or dare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! We're finally here in Greece, now this is when the story takes off

The three of them were sitting on the floor with their legs spread to make a triangle. Its been almost a week since they left Norway and are expecting to arrive any hour. 

The trio had found a small ball in the inside of the ship during the storm and was now rolling it to each other.

Of course the boys had made a game out of it, they knew how to create any kind of fun from anywhere. Even if it was as simple as truth or dare.

"Dare." The youngest giggled. Bård juggled the ball in his hand waiting for Calle to continue.

"I dare you to..." Calle looked around the boat, trying to think up of something good. Then they settled on Vegard.  
"I dare you to kiss your brothers feet!"

Bård looked at him in disgust "Eww never! I'm not gonna kiss his dirty feet."

Vegard clapped his hands together in amusement "Come on Bård, you gotta do it. Pucker up." He said as he raised his feet up.

Bård hesitated with disgust still in his features. He looked from boy to boy "Come on isn't there something else I can do?"

"No Bård, that's the dare I chose. Now do it." The tall boy instructed. 

"Come on, I can give you some money" He whispered. Calle chucked and shook his head. "No can do. I don't work like that."

Bård looked over at the dark boys dirty shoes in disgust. They were very worn out leather boots with a buckle missing and holes all through them. So much for a prince, he thought. And what was that white part, was that bird poop?! 

"Oh come on, Vegard when was the last time you've washed these, they're complete shit."

Vegard looked at him in amusement, "Oh I haven't had these washed since way before we left, maybe a month."

Calle snorted loudly, pointing at Bård "Hahaha you have to kiss those feet Bård, good luck."

Bård stared down at the shoes then back at Calle and smiled smugly. 

"Well you said I had to kiss his feet, not his shoes." He said and kneeled down in front of Vegard.

Calle stopped laughing and Vegard watched with wide eyes.

Bård slowly unblocked each boot one at a time before slipping them off carefully and threw them to the side. 

Now Vegards bare feet were out with both resting on Bård's thighs.

Bård held up one and caressed his brother's skin, slightly massaging it. His feet didn't really stink that much because Vegard had just gotten out of the bath so he could be presentable for the princess.

Bård looked up at his wide eyed brother and slowly gave a small peck at the sole of his feet.

He could hear Calle doubling over with laughter, cheering hysterically. "Now do the other one."

Bård still remained eye contact with Vegard with a playful smirk on his face. 

He did the same with the other one, then put them both down and leaned away.

Vegard didn't realize he was holding his breath until Calle's laughter broke him out of his trance. What the hell just happened? His cheeks flushed red and he chuckled shyly, being the first one to break eye contact.

Bård turned back to Calle, "There, I kissed my brothers feet. Are you happy now?"

Calle nodded contently "Oh yes, very".

"Good because now it's your turn." Bård said and tossed the ball to him.

"Truth or dare?"

Calle thought for a second before answering "Truth".

"Oh that's such a boring choice. O.kay, hmm..."

Bård tapped his finger on his chin for a while then stopped. He stared at Calle dead in the face. "How long did you realize you had a crush on me?"

Calle immediately froze and his cheeks got red. "Oh come on Bård, that's an unfair question. Don't you think that's unfair Vegard?"

Vegard was still in shock staring at his own feet. It took him a moment to realize someone was talking to him. He looked up from his daze. "Hmm?"

Calle chuckled and then asked again. "Don't you think that it's unfair that Bård asked me when I first realized my feelings for him."

"Oh I don't know, I suppose so." He was actually slightly bothered in his brother's choice of topic. Why did Bård care so much about this Calle anyway? Vegard decided to put his boots back on in his own thoughts.

Calle turned back to Bård "See he agrees, sort of".

Bård shook his head "Doesn't matter, you have to answer it. I had to do what you said." He pointed out.

Calle took a deep breath and leaned back on his palms. "Okay, here it goes."

He leaned forward again and looked down at his legs crossed, playing with the fabric.

"Go on." Bård nudged after a few seconds of silence.

"Alright alright. When I first realized my feelings for you," Calle was looking at Bård now. "It was a few years back when you visiting me at night first became a regular thing."

"Wait, every night??" Vegard interjected. Calle and Bård both directed their attention to him. 

"Yeah I'm sorry Vegard for not telling you sooner, I usually left a few hours after you fell asleep."

Vegard masked his hurt face with a comical one "Ooh, Romeo couldn't get enough of his Juliet I see."

"Anyway" Calle began again, and Bård directed his gaze towards him again. 

"It was probably really late at night but we stayed up all night talking about so much nonsense, I don't even remember. But next thing I know, the sun rose. And you were there around eleven or twelve years old with that choppy blond hair and a sleepy smile on your face. Then I realized that ya know, maybe being with you wouldn't be so bad after all." Calle looked down again in embarrassment and Bård hooted with glee. 

"Awww that's so sweet." Bård giggled also looking down.

"Yeah well you know what they say, there's more fish in the sea." Calle answered.

'Yea but Bård's my whole ocean' Vegard thought to himself. 

"Ho! Land, Land Land!" A crew member shouted. All three boys jumped up at once, hanging over the side of the ship.

The sun shone down on the archipelago which stood at the top of a rocky cliff as if it were a spotlight and they were coming to see a play. 

There at the tall pillars Bård spotted giant white sculptures he had never seen before guarded by tall muscular men dressed in rather funky dresses. This is a fucking weird place, he thought. 

But the water was a different story, he could look clearly through the bright turquoise water and could easily spot everything they came across. There were fish the size of small sharks and coral in all different colors. 

"Would you look at that, Greece." Vegard breathed. Bård stood a few steps behind them with a slight frown on his face 'Now I wish that storm could have killed us.' He thought to himself. "Yeah, Greece."

Vegard sensed the indifference in Bård's voice and turned to face him. He held Bård's hands and interlaced their fingers together. "It will be okay, Bård. I promise that this won't ruin our bond." He assured with an easy smile.

Bård just looked at him not believing a word he said but nodded understandably. He promised to himself to not hold Vegard back from his job as a prince and didn't say a word for the rest of the voyage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise, Vegard does not have a foot fetish lol
> 
> P.S. I hope these last few chapters haven't been too boring but hopefully I can finally get the ball rolling in the next one :)


	6. cloud 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is basically just the bros being alone...together...which might lead to something ;))

Suddenly Bård felt a heavy hand land on his back and both the brothers looked up. "Well boys, there it is. I could get used to staying here for a while." Their father chuckled in a thunderous voice.

"But we're going back home right dad?" Bård asked. He sounded like a little boy and cursed himself for being so childish.

"Well of course son, but first we have to do some business here." Their fathers dark grey beard swayed every time his mouth moved.

"So the welcoming party is tonight at sundown, hopefully this will give you boys enough time to explore and get dressed." The king concluded.

"Do we have to wear those robes, father?" Vegard chirped. "No no haha, you can wear our custom clothes." Both the siblings sighed in relief.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The servants put the last piece of their belongings in their room and now they finally alone again.

Vegard sighed deeply and locked the door before leaning back and studied the room. It was a lot more open and bright and well, different.

They were given one of the largest rooms in the castle, mostly because it was a shared bedroom but it was also very breathtaking.

"So what do you think?" Vegard asked. Bård flopped on the bed and played with the bouncy mattress.

"I don't know, I've seen better. But at least the beds are bouncy." Bård smiled.

Vegard let go of the door handles and joined his brother on the giant bed. "Wow, did you know that there are marble steps leading up to here?" Vegard kicked the steps with his feet.

Bård looked over the side momentarily, "wow this place sure does have a lot of marble." He commented. Vegard nodded in agreement, "well I guess they just have so much that they don't even know what to do with it all." Vegard gave a playful nudge next to his brother.

"Hey Vegard, do you think that they'll make a statue out of us in marble?" Bård asked. "Oh please, if they ask me I'll say that I can only let them if they make mine out of gold." "Hey I like gold, it matches my hair. You can be the silver."

Vegard rolled his eyes, oh what a brat. Bård's already a teenager and he still acts like he's a child.

"Oh fine, you brat. But only if I get to choose your pose." Bård was kicking his legs at him, occasionally hooking his ankle around his brother's.

"Oh and what pose will that be?" Vegard gave the best feminine pose he could muster, with a leg crossed over the other and an arm draped over his head, turning his torso to face Bård.

He gave a suggestive smirk and the younger one giggled, his nose scrunching. Vegard broke character and laughed as well. "That would be you, golden boy."

Bård straightened himself out and got up, walking around the room studying it. Vegard stared at Bård who was walking into the other side of the bedroom and started thinking; what if he didn't get married, what if this was only a nice place for Bård and him to stay at for as long as they wanted. He wouldn't mind that, he really wasn't looking forward to marrying so soon, especially to a stranger.

"Hey Vegard, you have to see this." Bård called. Vegard snapped out of his thought and followed his brother's voice. He must have got so deep in thought that he stopped watching his brother all together.

"Where are you Bård?" He called. Vegard was lost, this really was a big room, bigger than the one they shared at home.

There was another bed at the other end of the room which he wasn't really fond of. If anything he preferred to sleep nearby his brother, if not with him.

"Right here." Bård's voice was suddenly close to Vegards ear. He turns around in surprise. "I bet you didn't notice me did you." Bård gleamed with wonder in his eyes.

"Where did you come from?" Vegard chuckled.

"Oh no where, just a secret passage. Here follow me." Bård grabbed Vegards hand and he was once again dragged somewhere.

They came to a bluish wall with some heavenly clouds and mist painted on. "Why am I staring at a wall Bård?" Vegard chuckled.

"You're not, you're staring at a secret passage." Bård whispered.

"How is this a secret passage?" Vegard was curious on how this supposed secret passage worked.

He splayed his fingers out on the wall, occasionally knocking to hear the difference in hollowness.

"Well you'll never be able to find it that way, look." Bård walked over to an empty vase perched on a table and picked it up.

Slowly, the wall slid over and a dark hallway was suddenly uncovered. Vegard stared in shock. "Woah, Bård this is really big." He gasped.

Bård smiled consistently to himself as he watched his brother in amazement.

Vegard stepped towards the walls opening and touched the pale blue stone.

"Wow" he breathed to himself.

"I know right." Bård answered, but only he wasn't talking about the passage way. Vegard turned his head an grinned. "Do you wanna check it out?"

Bård contemplated this, maybe they weren't supposed to find this out. What if someone comes in to check on them and they're gone?

He slowly shook his head, "I don't know Vegard, what if we get caught?" Vegards smile faded.

"Right, I suppose we should wait until night." They both nodded in agreement and Vegard stepped away as Bård gently put back the vase.

"I guess we have to get ready soon for the party, don't we." Bård sighed. Vegard nodded with a sad smile. "Yeah we need to get dressed."

Both the brothers stared at eachother in silence, challenging the other to move.

Bård became captivated by his brother's dark eyes and sleek black hair. His features somehow made his face paler, accentuating his red lips that occasionally got wetted with his tongue.

_Vegards gorgeous_ , Bård thought. How can his own brother look nothing like him.

Bård realized that he's been staring for slightly too long and looked down blushing. Vegard chuckled and moved swiftly past him to reach his baggage.

Bård cursed at himself and followed his brother. He helped Vegard dispatch the case and a pile of wrinkled clothes came tumbling out.

"You know, for a pair of princes the servants doesn't really take good care of our belongings." Vegard scoffed. "I guess they were just happy that we were leaving them." Bård chuckled.

They both dug their hands in the pile and sorted out the clothes in silence. Then when Bård returned to the luggage his hands were met by his brother's.

It was a mistake of course, all they did was awkwardly touch for the briefest second. But when his fingers brushed against Vegards he swore he felt sparks.

He ignored this feeling of course and went back to folding the clothes. But then when his hands returned to the pile he felt his right hand feel a callousness one.

But this time the touch lingered for a while. He stared down at their hands touching with Vegards ontop of Bård's.

He looked up to meet Vegards face also staring with his cheeks flushed red. Was Vegard blushing? His heart skipped a beat.

Vegard breathed out heavily through his mouth and Bård let it hit his face. They were so close to each other, leaning over the suitcase with their hands still connecting.

Bård got lost in his eyes once more, for they encouraged him to not stop. He didn't want to stop, if anything he would like to freeze this moment forever.

He didn't want to see Vegard with a random girl, he wanted Vegard to be with someone he loves. God, why can't everything go nicely for them just once?

Bård breathed deeply through his nose and closed his eyes. He'd rather not think about what is happening to their life right now and preferred to just revel in this moment.

His eyes snapped open again though when he felt Vegards thumb caress the back of his hand.

He looked down and saw both of Vegards hands stroking Bård's right one like it was a magnificent being.

Bård reciprocated the touch and without much thinking, intertwined their fingers. He looked back up to Vegard who was still watching their hands and smiled.

Bård has always felt so safe with his brother, he knew that no matter what he said or did Vegard would always support him.

Vegard looked up again and met his gaze. Then he reached his other hand for Bård's.

They held hands with their left as well, sitting crossed legged, staring at each other.

"Bård," Vegard breathed. Bård hummed in answer. He needed more contact, he needed to make sure that this marriage wouldn't change them.

He stared down at the enticing lips, occasionally getting wet again with that pink tongue of his.

Bård felt like he was being pulled into them, with Vegards warm hands touching his, he wondered how it would feel with us mouth touching his.

"Bård." Vegard whispered again, his voice hitching. Bård looked up into his brother's heavily eyes again, only inches apart. "Yes?" Bård breathed. "What are you doing?"

Bård cocked his head to the side just a little and smirked, "what does it look like I'm doing?"

Vegard sat frozen in place, what is he doing? Bård is his little brother for god sake, this isn't right.

"We need to get dressed...for the party." Vegard reminded. Bård's face turned to an ugly frown, "Oh come on brother, the party doesn't start for another few hours."

Then the fifteen year old returned to his previous position, this time circling his thumb around Vegards hand.

Vegard couldn't control his urge anymore, he licked his own lips once more and parted them slightly.

He finally gave into the gap, into the feelings that he's always had, into the person he's loved most; Bård.

Bård sighed into the kiss, his eyes shut tight, intoxicated by his brother's chapped lips pressed onto his.

He pulled Vegards hands closer to him, pulling Vegard closer into him. Vegard whimpered and squeezed Bård's hands with his, then he pulled away.

He studied Bård's hot face, still lost in the feeling. The blue eyes fluttered open and he could still feel the sizzling tingle on his lips.

They both stared at each other with glassy eyes and ragged breathing.

"Wow" Bård said after a moment of silence. He felt like he was floating on cloud 9, every limb in his body felt weightless and every inch of him felt like it was kissed all over by butterflies.

Vegard chuckled breathlessly, "same here, brother."

They stared into each other's eyes for a while longer with their hands still connected. Then Vegard cleared his throat and retreated back to folding clothes.

"Hey maybe you can help me pick out an outfit, you know how I am with fashion." Vegard spoke up.

"Oh um, yea. Of course. Uh." Bård was still dizzy from the kiss. He still couldn't even talk right. He shook his head and cleared his throat.

_Come on Bård, get yourself together_.He thought to himself and pulled another piece of clothing from the pile.


	7. Preparations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg it's been a while hasn't it, sorry

Bård couldn't help the grin on his face after his and Vegard's mouth awkwardly met. He felt his lips tingle and feel slightly wet while he tried his best to tone down the smile. His hands fumbled in the clothes pile once more and picked up a pair of navy blue trousers. Those pants were picked out for tonight. He felt his smile fade. Vegard looked up from what he was doing and noticed the clothing in Bård's hands. "I'm going to wear those pants tonight with the matching top, you can lay that on my bed." He said lowly. Bård lowered the pants and eyed his brother. That outfit was one of Bård's favorites on Vegard, it really contrasted with his ivory skin and dark curls. "It's an arranged marriage, I don't think you dressing in your best clothes will help out our country." Bård said hastily.

Vegard rolled his eyes. "Oh come on Bård, it's a very important event, I at least have to dress up for it." Bård fidgeted on the floor and moved his legs under him so they weren't crossed anymore. "I still don't find this fair." He mumbled under his breath. But he was reluctant and threw the trousers onto the bed next to him. He avoided Vegard's gaze and dove back into the pile but was stopped by his brothers rough hands once more. "Bård, look at me." Bård's eyes shifted towards his brother and sighed. "Listen, I just want to say thank you for being so accepting. I just wish things weren't so difficult." He confessed. Bård's eyes seemed distant and Vegard tried to search for them, squeezing his hands tighter then releasing them. Bård did nothing but nodded, it felt like he was about to be sick. He just kissed his own brother, which is by far the most fucked up thing he has ever done. So how was he able to accept Vegard walking away from him for some stranger? 

Vegard searched for his eyes nervously. "Oh for God's sake Bård, say something!" Bård's tongue was frozen, he had no clue whether to lie and be supporting, or to actually tell him his true feelings. His blue eyes became blurry and he had to blink a few times before he took a deep breath. "Vegard I-"  
Just then there was a knock on the door and both brothers jumped as far away from each other as possible. "Come in." Vegard cleared his voice and raked his hands through his hair. A freshly bathed Calle sauntered in the room. "Woah look at the room you got, all I got was an unused closet." Both of the brothers chuckled nervously. "Thanks Calle, what brings you here?" Vegard asked. Calle looked back at them and sighed. "Oh, so while I've been walking around I spotted this so called "princess" and boy is she something else." He chuckled while walking over to their bed. "What was she like?" Bård's interest peaked. Calle fell onto the mattress face first into the mattress. "Wow this is a nice bed." He breathed. "Anyways, she was rather pretty I'd say. She had very long curly brown hair and was about Bård's size." Vegard looked over to Bård who had reached past his brothers height when he hit puberty. "So she's taller than me." Vegard stated. Calle laughed lightly, "I suppose so." Calle's long limbs stretched from corner to corner and grinned. Bård could tell this was Calle's first time in a bed that wasn't made for peasants. "Well it's not like you should be surprised of this brother, all the girls back in Norway are no different." Bård joked and patted Vegard's back lightly. Vegard side eyed him jokingly, and smiled, "Don't start with me Bård, I have plenty of things to say about you as well." Calle cleared his voice, "Anyway once I got past her features I began listening in on what was actually going on, I couldn't really understand her-considering its Greek- but she sounded kind of pushy towards her servants. Now Prince Vegard, I don't know much about this woman but she sorta seems, well, pushy." 

"Pushy?" Vegard blurted out. Bård examined the worry on his brothers face, and slightly smiled. 'This might be good' he thought, 'maybe if she's a real bitch Vegard could refuse to marry her.' He hid the grin creeping up on his face and spoke up. "Oh Vegard, what if she's not exactly that nice towards you." Vegard darted his eyes towards his lanky brother. "What do you mean?" He asked. Now Calle was looking at him too. "Well you know how those petty girls are, they have a face created by an angel but the personality of a skank." Vegard scratched his head and paced about in the room. "But I have no choice, whether she's bitchy or not I still must marry her!" Vegard sat down at the edge of the bed. Now it was all coming into place. Bård sat down next to him and rubbed his back gently as Calle sat up behind them. "Listen Vegard, I'm sure she'll be great. She might have been a little pushy towards her servants but hey! Those are her servants, people act like that towards them all the time." Bård assured. "But we don't treat ours like that, we don't even treat Calle like that." Vegard mumbled. Calle patted his back and he turned around. "Hey remember when you found me and Bård in the barn and how you treated me at first." Calle began. "Oh yeah I remember that, I almost felt my hair go grey when I saw you two." Vegard chuckled. "Well maybe she was just going through the same thing just now." Vegard nodded, "I suppose so." On the inside Bård was turning bright with embarrassment when he brought up the memory, but he kept up the façade. "See so you don't have anything to really worry about until you meet her." Bård spoke up again. Vegard smiled at the ground and leaned into him lightly. "Thanks guys, I'm just really freaking out right now. I wish it wouldn't have to be this way." Calle held his hands up "Oh no your highness, I love it here it's almost like an exotic vacation." He grinned. Vegard gave a reluctant chuckle. "I guess you can look at it that way." Calle gave one last pat before getting off of the large bed. "I think it's best if I leave the princes to get ready for the welcome party tonight." He said heading towards the door. "And good luck, I'll be there serving appetizers if you need anything." With the slam of the door it was just the two brothers again in the large marble room again. There was a moment of shared silence as they sat there side by side in their own thoughts. Then Bård spoke up, "I think I'll get ready now." Vegard slowly nodded in agreement. "I guess so." Bård awkwardly stood up and walked to his own bed on the other side of the room. He could feel his brothers eyes on him from behind, Vegard was expecting Bård to bring up what happened before. But he shouldn't let his feelings get in the way of politics. That-whatever it was- was a mistake, they were lost in the moment, Bård told himself. And he can't be a selfish kid, he must accept this arrangement whether he likes it or not. He slipped off his shoes and slowly untied the collar on his shirt. At least he still has Calle, right? But honestly, he just liked him as a friend. He can't really see himself trusting anyone more than he does with his brother. He sighed, this is frustrated as hell.

Vegard was still on the bed tongue tied, when should he bring up the kiss? Now? Later? He raked his hands through his knotty hair. He'll have to try to tame it before the dinner, he thought to himself. He didn't even realize he was still staring at Bård after he got up. This whole thing is just really scary and stressful. He didn't even know that he could have these feelings for his little brother until this trip happened. Or has he known deep down all along but just realized it now? His eyes wandered over the young boys slender body as it undressed but quickly looked away in shame. You need to pull yourself together Ylvisåker, he thought. He forced his body to get dressed as well while facing away from Bård.

**Author's Note:**

> idk when i'll get the chance to update this :/


End file.
